How Not To Do a Big Baking Evening

My friend Myra, at My Blessed Life, started a weekly carnival (or meme) a couple of months ago called Friday Fails (with a tag line that is so true - "Because a blessed life is not always a perfect life.")

I usually don't have to search too long to find my little fails throughout the week.  This is one is just one of many.

I love Simple Mom.  I love her blog.  (I even wrote a guest post there before about composting with a garbage can.)  I loved hearing her at Blissdom.  I could not, however, bring myself to actually approach her, even though I could have said, "Hey -- I wrote a guest post for you before."  Nope -- couldn't do it. 

Anyway, I digress.  It wasn't too long ago that Tsh (Simple Mom) talked about cleaning up the kitchen as you go while doing a lot of cooking or baking.  I think that's a fabulous idea.  I was envious when I saw that she does it.  I have to admit to it being one of my weak areas. 

Here is what the kitchen looked like after backing several batches of quick breads, two batches of muffins, and a sheet cake (I still can't believe I'm about to show this, by the way):

What's wrong with me?  Seriously.

So, the next time your kitchen looks like a disaster zone, just think of me, and feel a little better about yourself.

Later on at about 2 am in the evening, I had to slave away at that mess (which actually got worse than pictured).  I'm sure it would have been easier to clean up a little at a time rather than all at once.  I'm thankful that I did finally get it clean.

If you have a "fail" that you want to share, make sure to go visit Myra at My Blessed Life.

7 Quick Takes: December 4, 2009 (Volume 23)

~ 1 ~

I. must. clean.

In just a few days, I will be hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law at my home.  Nothing like a party to force you into really a nice deep cleaning around the house, I suppose.  I actually have a bunch of things to do before the shower, but it should be a nice afternoon.

~ 2 ~

We are gearing up for St. Nicholas Day this weekend.  My kids are very excited, just like I always was when I was a kid.  Although we only do one small gift (between the three kids, the gifts averaged at right about $5/kiddo), they are eager to see what will await them.

On the topic of small gifts though, what are some of your favorite stocking stuffers for kids?

~ 3 ~

We just got our paperwork for Eric's health insurance for next year.  We have just a few days to make decisions and get it all turned back in.  I'm not sure why it has to be that way every year, but it is.

More importantly, I don't understand why we have to pay more for our monthly premiums each year, yet we also get an increase in our copays and introducing this year -- a deductible as well.  Oh well, I guess I can understand the increase in price, because they are cutting some of what they cover and making us financially responsible for more of it.

Yeah, it makes perfect sense.

~ 4 ~

I know that a lot of people around the U.S. right now are probably at the point where they are tired of coming up with creative ways to use leftover turkey.  But do you know what?  I only got to have turkey on Thanksgiving and then a few rolls with some turkey on them on the drive home the next day (from my grandparents house).  So, darn it -- I'm in the mood for turkey.

Good thing I went to Aldi's for the first time ever and picked up a Butterball turkey at a great price.  I have to decide when to make it (so I know when to start thawing it), but then I'm all psyched to have some turkey at home.

In preparation for when we get tired of turkey though, anyone have any great leftover turkey ideas?

~ 5 ~

I was excited to get to change my ringback tone on my cell phone to "Carol of the Bells" by Straight No Chaser just after Thanksgiving.  It was apparently a whole family event, because the kids had to call my phone and then so did my Mom.  Then the kids made me play the song on my iPod several times.  I didn't know it, but it is apparently Noah's favorite Christmas song.

~ 6 ~

I recently searched around town and the Internet for this Pastry Chef set from Step 2 for Molly for Christmas.  I just thought it looked so cute after reading about it in the most recent issue of Family Fun Magazine.

Much to my displeasure, what I thought was going to be a single click on Amazon.com actually ended up being an all-out search.  I have not linked you to Amazon, as a matter of fact, because they are out and there are third party sellers trying to get almost $60 for the set right now (which should be around $25).

I was thrilled to then find that Step 2 sells them on their website!  But, the catch is that they only sell a two pack of this toy on their site.  Get this though -- it was on sale for $29.99 for the two pack!  (Right now, it's up to $49.98 for the set of two, but that is what retail price would be for two.)

So, not only did I manage to get a toy that I wanted, but now we have another gift just waiting to be given to someone else!  WooHoo!

~ 7 ~

I recently heard this passage from Matthew's Gospel (when my friend Amanda put it on a mixed media painting) and I realized that I need to think of it a lot more often than I do:

Learn from the wildflowers in the field, and behold the birds in the sky.  Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear.  Your Heavenly Father knows what you need before you even ask Him.

This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes Friday.

Photos by: cleaning by The Shopping Sherpa / turkey by Another Pint Please... / flowers by Martin_Heigan

Cleaning My Itty Bitty Craft Room...Once Again

Do you have a room or area of your house that always seems to get messy?  I would like to say that my craft room is that area in our house, but I would be overlooking my desk and the counter.  (I will admit, however, that I did notice that two of the most problem areas are my areas in the house.)

Since I am having a group of women over this weekend for a mixed media painting class, I figured that I better get my craft room in order.  Since it's a mere 35 square feet, we won't use it for the class, of course.  But, I suspect everyone will see it at some point, so I have to be prepared.

Brace yourself -- this is what the room looked like right before I started to clean:

Unsettling, isn't it?

It's true -- I couldn't even walk into the room.  Every surface had something on it, and it kind of freaked me out every time I walked past it.  This was definitely not something that I wanted to show off to my friends.

After a couple hours of clean up, one bag of stuff to give away, and one bag of stuff to throw away, here is what I ended up with:

 

It's not as beautiful as the craft studios that I see in books and around the Internet, but I have to admit that I am pretty pleased with how it looks right now.  If it can just stay looking like this until the end of this week, then I'll be set!

What are the most problem areas in your house?

 

This post is linked to Tackle it Tuesday.

7 Quick Takes: August 28 (Vol. 13)

~ 1 ~

This week, we took our first official field trip of the school year. We were thrilled to drive about an hour and a half to visit a priest who used to be at our parish (who we had really become friends with), but who was recently transferred.

Not only did we get a chance to catch up with him, but he also gave us what he called the "nickel tour" of his new parish, but it was certainly worth much more than that. He talked about all of statues, as well as many stained glass windows. He also kept the kids interested by quizzing them throughout. And, of course, it didn't hurt when he took us on a "secret" passageway from the sacristy to behind the high altar.

Not only was it a great educational experience, but going to grab frozen custard and french fries afterward was pretty darn sweet as well.

And, one exchange reminded me of why I like this priest. I told him that the Mom of another family that had become close to him and myself, as well as the nine kids between us would come visit in the fall. And, after a sarcastic, "Oh yeah!" he followed it with a, "No, really, that sounds fun."

~ 2 ~

I love to shop on Amazon.com. It's probably a sign that my kids will talk about something they want, and immediately follow it up with, "We should look it up on Amazon.com."

One thing that I enjoy doing is to visit blogs that I enjoy that have Amazon.com affiliate buttons (like I have on my sidebar, by the way) and I click through on them when I am about to buy something. That way, I spend what I'm going to spend anyway, but they also benefit from it. Win-win!

~ 3 ~

I can not get caught up on my laundry.

Seriously, I don't know what my problem is, but I have been hopelessly behind for a couple of weeks now. Then again, "saying" that out loud made me realize that we started school a few weeks ago. Maybe that's it!

Anyway, if I can't keep up with my "economic stimulus" high efficiency front loading washer, then there would have been no hope for me with a washboard.

~ 4 ~

We started WorkBoxes officially today!

It was about time, considering that I actually spoke on "Organizing Your Homeschool" at our homeschool group's meeting earlier this week, and actually spoke about WorkBoxes.

The kids loved it! I haven't gotten to see it in action, as my wonderful saintly mother actually did a couple of hours of school with them this morning for me. But, she reported that it went very well.

My boys did have one worry about it though. "Did we only do this because Grandma was here? Does that mean we don't get to use them again?" I figured that was as good as a thumbs up, even before they told me how much they liked it.

~ 5 ~

Jack has started violin lessons. He really likes it so far.

As if getting a free piano wasn't a blessing enough (though we've sunk about $200 into the "free" piano thus far -- wait for a post about that next week), our violin teacher had a 1/2 size violin that we can borrow (for free). So, until Jack needs the next size up, we'll be using this one. What a blessing!

~ 6 ~

Speaking of lessons, Molly has continued with her ballet lessons this week. She loves it even more than she did last week!

Oh, and it was even cuter this week! That probably has to do with either the fact that she was listening to her teacher more (and watching me less) or maybe it was the ballet shoes and outfit that we picked up for her.

Size 11 Children's Pink Ballet shoes: $16.99

Two Ballet Outfits (both with cutie skirts) -- one in purple, one in pink: $10.00 (at Once Upon a Child)

Watching a Four at Ballet Class: Mind-blowingly Priceless

(You know, or $67.50, which is how much I wrote on the check a few weeks ago -- it's all relative)

~ 7 ~

Speaking of things that are too cute and cool, I have pre-ordered one of these 2010 Planners. I cannot wait to get it. I'm super psyched!

(Now, is that a "two thousand ten planner" or a "twenty ten planner?")

Be sure to check out 7 Quick Takes Friday at Conversion Diary!

photos by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ (violin), Just B Cuz (laundry lady), Angie @ Many Little Blessings (stained glass window)

Using Picture Labels to Help Pre-Readers Keep Their Toys Organized

Last week, I wrote about organizing Molly's toys. I had to continue to work on the toy organization this week because I wanted to place picture labels on each bin, in the hopes that it would be easier (for everyone in the family!) to put the toys in the correct bins.

If you missed it last week, here is what the bins looked like to start with (although this was actually when I was mid-way through organizing -- trust me though, it wasn't pretty to start with):


Here is what the bins looked like last week in my post about decluttering her toys as my "after" picture:

As I said though, I wasn't done because darn it -- I've organized these toys before! I have done it many times, and each time, all of the bins get all mixed around. So, it was my hope that if I added picture labels, everyone would clearly be able to see what types of toys should go in each bin.

After the fun of setting up something representative of each bin and taking photos of them, I had them printed -- two pictures per 4x6 print. I then laminated each picture (with the actual word labelled on the back of the picture), hole punched it, and used yarn to attach it ot the appropriate bin.

Here are the bins with their pictures attached:

And a close up of a couple of the bins:

It's been just under a week since I finished it all up, and I have to say -- so far, it's been a success! I'm so psyched! Hopefully this is one toy organization system that will finally work out for us.

How do you keep toys organized?

This post is linked to: Works for Me Wednesday, Talk About Tuesday, and Tackle It Tuesday.

Trying to Tackle A Four Year Old's Toys

I have been working on decluttering around the house now that we have finished our homeschool year. It was something that I had really been wanting to do, and it seemed like a good time to work on it.

I was surprised when I whipped through several areas that I thought would take a long time. But, I was not surprised when it took me several days (working off and on) to finish going through Molly's toys (which we keep in the room that we use for school as well).

I forgot to take before pictures, so really, these are "during" pictures (but, I'm afraid to say that it does not look a lot different than the before pictures, other than that in the before pictures, the white shelves were full):

And, thankfully, here are the after pictures:

Actually, I have one more thing to finish off before I will officially consider this project done. Eric and I worked to take pictures of a sample of what is in each basket on her shelves and then I'll make a laminated tag with the picture on one side (I already got each picture printed as a 3"x4") and the words on the opposite side.

Here are two samples of the pictures that will be on her labels (for Care Bears and for Calico Critters):

This post is linked to: I am Blissfully Domestic, Talk About Tuesday, and Tackle It Tuesday.

How to Save a Little Money on Laundry Supplies

My tip today is pretty short and sweet, but it is something that works for me, so I thought I would pass it along.

Fabric softener dryer sheets, I think, are pretty big. So, before I use one, I just rip it in half (inside the dryer, in case anything "falls" out, per se) and throw in only half a sheet. Then, when I do my next load of laundry, I use the leftover half.

I know that there are those spikey dryer balls that could probably be better, since I wouldn't be using them at all. But, after hearing pretty mixed reviews, I decided to stick with ripping them in half. (I will note that I have heard of people cutting a whole package worth at the same time, but that it is difficult. I figure it's easy enough for me to just do one at a time.)

I know this seems like it isn't a big deal, but when I realized that this means that my box that is meant for 120 loads of laundry actually lasts for 240 loads, that sure seemed like a big difference to me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday (themed edition: Frugal Tips) and Frugal Fridays.

This is reposted from 2008.

photo by *ThroughMyEyes*

My Big Fat Catholic First Communion Party

We had such a busy week (last week) and weekend! Even though Jack made his First Communion last Sunday (April 26th), we had a party in his honor this past Sunday.

Of course, this meant that last week was just one giant tackle!

I finally got the house clean (though I did hire someone who is in between jobs to come in for a couple of hours to help me along on that).

Then, we spent part of the weekend planting flowers, mowing the lawn, and installing swings on our swingset.

The rest of the weekend was spent getting the food ready for our party, although my Mom did a ton of the work where that was concerned!

Our First Communion party menu:

• Baked Ham Sandwiches
• Meatballs
• Spiral Sandwiches
• BBQ Pork (and Buns)
• Chicken Nuggets (I went through an entire huge bag from Sam's of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets!)
• Sesame Noodles
• Deviled Eggs
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Potato Salad
• Crab Dip
• Macaroni Salad
• Pasta Salad
• Fresh Veggies
• Fresh Fruit
• Spinach Artichoke Cheese Spread and Crackers
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Shoe Cake (this is a chocolate chip bread)
• Phyllo Shells Filled with a Cream Cheese/Dream Whip/Powdered Sugar Mix
• 1/2 Sheet Cake
• Cheese Cake Bites
• Punch
• Lemonade

We loved having so many family members, friends, and members of our church family at our home! But, we were extra thankful for beautiful weather that meant that all of the kids spent the entire time outside! (Whew!)

This was quite a tackle this week. I think next week my tackle is going to have to be something like picking a Lego up off the floor or brushing my hair in the morning.

This post is linked to Tackle It Tuesday.

7 Quick Takes - May 1st Edition (Vol. 2)

1. We are so pleased to announce that Jack made his First Holy Communion this past Sunday! He looked so grown up, and so proud! And, I suppose we probably looked pretty darn proud too. (We definitely felt that way.)

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2. And, speaking of Jack's First Communion, we are gearing up for his party this weekend. Since my parents were originally going to be out of town last weekend, we scheduled the party for this weekend instead. Can I just tell you how much less stress I felt at the Mass knowing that I didn't have to rush home for guests to arrive? (Plus, then we got to go to a First Communion party of one of Jack's friends instead.)

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3. The printing on the N key and E key of my laptop is almost gone. The same thing happened with my old laptop too.

Looks like the M key is set to be the next victim.

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4. I'm having someone come to clean the house tomorrow. I know, I could do it myself. But, this woman is charging a very reasonable price (and is out of work). I guess we'll see how this works out. I feel bad to have someone come clean (well -- kind of), but it seems to be a win-win situation. We'll see how it all works out and if I want to have her come back and clean again.

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5. I actually did have someone come clean my house a few times several years ago. It was someone I knew from work who did cleaning on the side. She appeared to have several clients, and I was so busy. I thought it would be perfect.

Honestly, she didn't do the best job where we worked, and so I figured that perhaps cleaning was her forte. Let's just say, I don't think it was.

Of the times she came, one time she spent all three hours in my bedroom and our bathroom. I didn't go in there while she was there. I was shocked to find several dusty areas and an unmade bed when I went to see it after she left. To this day, I still am sure she spent a good portion of the time on her cell phone.

That was the last time I had her (or anyone) over to clean the house or talk on the phone or whatever it was that she did.

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6. My favorite latest downloads from iTunes are "You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie" by The Submarines, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" by Mxpx, "Brand New Day" by Tim Myers, and "Beautiful Life" by Fisher.

All of them were songs that I heard in commercials and couldn't get out of my head.

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7. I cried at least a few times while I watched Grey's Anatomy tonight. I'm such a sap, but I'm okay with that.

Use Simple Cleaning to Keep Germs Away

Here's a quick tip for today that I don't do nearly as often as I should, but I definitely do try to do whenever I remember...

Door knobs, light switches, cabinet door pulls, and hand rails are breeding grounds for germs. A quick cleaning can help cut down on illnesses around your house. In particular, these are especially important areas to clean when sickness has been making the rounds at your house.

So, the next time you are cleaning, make sure to give these areas (which are so often overlooked) a quick cleaning!

For more tips and ideas from around the blogosphere, be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

photo by T.SC

GigantaPants vs. Pink Shirta

One weekend in March, Eric was helping to put on a church retreat all weekend. So, it was just me and the kids, and we had big plans.

Well, if big plans means doing nothing and working on laundry, then we had big plans. Eric had asked the kids to please be good helpers for me while he was gone. So, when it came time to do laundry, they all eagerly wanted to assist.

What really excited me was that after we got the laundry going, they shut the door to the laundry room and stayed in there for the entire load of laundry.

I had no idea what they were doing, but it just sounded like they were pretending and talking, so I enjoyed the quiet.

Upon the load ending, their chatter just piqued my interest too much, so I had to ask them what they had done that whole time. In response, I got a lot of shifty eyes.

Molly mentioned something about "Gigantapants." (This is pronounced as if you have joined the words gigantic and pants.)

Both of the boys blushed.

Finally, I begged them to tell me. I promised not to laugh. I had to know how they had not only watched laundry going through the wash, but had a wonderful time doing it. And, apparently the promise of not laughing about it was enough. It also meant that I was about to get quite an earful about what they had been doing.

It seems that there were battles (a la Pokemon-style) between items of clothing as they spun around the washing machine. First, apparently, was Gigantapants (an adult pair of blue jeans) versus poor Pink Shirta (a demure 5T size shirt). Then, Red Diamond (a red shirt of mine with a couple of sparkles on it) versus Red Shirta (Noah's polo shirt) came next. The big winner, however, was White Towela (aka a Shout Color Catcher).

This just reminds me once again about the wonderful creativity of childhood and their unique ability to occasionally forgo all of their store bought toys to find great fun in something more ordinary. I just pray that I can continue to foster their creativity and wonder as they grow.






picture by dhammza

Bleach Solution for Disinfecting

I have a cleaning tip this week that is short, but sweet clean.

I don't know if things are going on near you like they are here, but it seems everyone is coughing and has the sniffles. One thing I like to do to try to disinfect things around the house is to use a bleach solution.

A perfect weaker mix that is great for toys and items that might find themslves in children's mouths is: 1 tablespoon of bleach added to 1 gallon of cool water.

This can be really great for playdates when little Penelope down the street spends the whole time sneezing on your Suzie's Weeble Wobbles.

For a stronger bleach solution (for use in areas like bathrooms and diaper changing areas), you can add 1/4 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of cool water (or 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 quart of cool water).

I like to keep a spray bottle of the weaker solution (which I have marked in bold letters BLEACH SOLUTION) all made up and ready to use as needed.

Good luck keeping those germs away this season with this great and frugal alternative to store bought santizers!

Be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Fridays!



photo from google images

Motivated Moms Works For Even An Unmotivated Mom (Plus a Planner Giveaway!)

This is certainly not a new topic for Works for Me Wednesday -- Motivated Moms works for me. But, my story is perhaps a little different than some of what I have read before (even when I wrote about Motivated Moms previously).

In case you are unfamiliar with Motivated Moms, you can click the banner above to visit the site (and here is a sample page). It is a FlyLady-type of system, except you print out your task lists and don't have an inbox full of reminders to put your shoes on. (Because, know what? I don't always wear my shoes around the house. In fact, it's not uncommon to find me barefoot, though I will often wear Crocs now that my bad knee has gotten worse.)

Anyway -- do you know why I like Motivated Moms? Because I'm not really all that motivated to keep up the house.

Sure, sometimes I'll get a bee in my bonnet about it, and I'll do a ton of cleaning. But, sometimes I just don't. Motivated Moms allows me to sometimes just let it go. I know that doesn't sound good, so let me explain why it's a good thing.

When I tried to sign up for FlyLady, I would get to the unmotivated phase, and I'd get tired of the emails. So, then I would cancel the emails and that was that. But, with Motivated Moms, I buy the $8 planner at the beginning of the year. And, when I go a couple of weeks without doing it, I don't feel horrible. It's a whole new sheet of paper in the planner, and I just start up again.

So, while it might be nice if I was guilted into cleaning more, I am more apt to just shut down about it. So, I need something that lets me take time off, but then I can literally start back with a clean slate page!

Because I like Motivated Moms so much, I want to share it with someone who hasn't tried it, or maybe who is already a Motivated Moms user. Either way -- a 2009 copy (of your choice, since there are different types) could be yours!

There are two ways to enter the giveaway (you can do both or just one):

1. Leave a comment with a quick household mangement tip -- could be cleaning, baking, laundry...whatever!

2. Subscribe to Many Little Blessings (via email or RSS Reader of some sort, such as Google Reader). There will be a secret code for this giveaway at the bottom of the feed. Just email me at manylittleblessings {at} gmail {dot} com with the secret code in the subject line. I won't read the emails, so make sure to put the code in the subject line.

I will do a random drawing on Tuesday, January 12th at 12:01 pm EST. Good luck!


To read about lots of tips and ideas from other bloggers, be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.

Reorganizing My Craft Room

I can't seem to help myself -- I like to organize. So, from time to time, I reorganize something that I have already reorganized. Honestly though, it's usually because it's just not working for me anymore, and I have a new idea of what might work better.

My craft room, of course, is no exception to this tendency of mine. Heck -- it is probably the epitome of this tendency. I have even reorganized my tiny craft room (it's 35 square feet) as a tackle before.

Here is my messy craft room as it looked a couple of weeks ago when Eric was playing around with our new camera.

You may not notice, but I couldn't even put my legs under my desk, because of so much stuff under it. Plus, I didn't have enough room to do a two page layout, because there wasn't even open desk space. How annoying!

Enter my reorganization of the craft room...

Not only do I now have plenty of room to work (I can work on two 12x12 pages at the same time, and tonight even had a 16x20 canvas sitting out that I was working on), but I can now put my legs under the desk. (I'm moving up in the world, apparently.)

It is also not visible from either set of pictures, but my Iris Cart drawers were all messy and not very efficient. I moved things around, did some serious purging, and now have very organized drawers. I even have a bunch of empty drawers!

I have been seriously enjoying this tackle -- it's so much easier to be creative when you have some room to spread out and get comfortable!